About St. Aloysius · Celina, Ohio
St. Aloysius is a small Roman Catholic parish in the unincorporated community of Carthagena, Mercer County, Ohio — just minutes from Celina and sharing the historic grounds of St. Charles Seminary. It is one of five parishes in the St. Henry Cluster (alongside St. Bernard, St. Francis, St. Henry, and St. Wendelin) and part of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati's St. Marys Deanery. The church building is the second-oldest surviving parish structure in the 'Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches' and the first in the region designed with the tall Gothic Revival tower that would define the area's skyline. Its patron, St. Aloysius Gonzaga, was chosen because of the parish's historical tie to St. Charles Borromeo, his lifelong friend.
- Established
- 1865
- Patron
- St. Aloysius Gonzaga
- Rector
- Rev. Tom Hemm, CPPS
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Cincinnati (St. Marys Deanery)
Why belong here
St. Aloysius offers an intimate small-parish Catholic life rooted in a remarkable 19th-century church in the storied 'Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches.' Worshippers share in a five-parish cluster with a wide range of ministries — baptism prep classes, faith formation for children and youth, adult faith programming including Bible studies and a 13-week GriefShare, RCIA, music ministry, CYO athletics shared with St. Francis, and active outreach through the 'Do Good' center. With daily and Sunday Masses (some livestreamed), weekly confession times, Eucharistic adoration, and devotion to St. Aloysius Gonzaga and his friendship with St. Charles Borromeo, it is a parish where history, sacramental life, and community come together.
Mass times at St. Aloysius
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday – Friday, after morning Mass (cluster-wide)
- Tuesday, St. Henry: 7:30–8:30 p.m. (7:00 p.m. during Advent)
- Wednesday, St. Henry: 11:15–11:45 a.m.
- Thursday, St. Henry: 7:30–8:30 p.m. (7:00 p.m. during Advent)
- Saturday, St. Henry: 3:15–4:15 p.m.
- Sunday, St. Henry: 7:30–8:15 a.m.
- Saturdays before First Friday, 3:00 p.m. at St. Henry Church
Adoration times
- Eucharistic Adoration — see St. Henry Cluster schedule (cluster-wide devotion)
Welcome to St. Aloysius
St. Aloysius Catholic Church is the historic Carthagena parish of the St. Henry Cluster in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. Tucked into the rural landscape of western Ohio alongside St. Charles Seminary, it is one of the founding churches of the region known as the 'Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches.' The parish's Catholic identity, sacramental life, and community outreach are shared across the cluster, while each parish keeps its own parish life coordinator and devotional rhythm.
Parish Identity and Patron — Why 'St. Aloysius'?
St. Aloysius Gonzaga is the patron saint of the young, especially students. He gave up his family's wealth to become a Jesuit priest and died at 23 while caring for plague victims. The parish honors him in part because of a real-life friendship: St. Aloysius Gonzaga and St. Charles Borromeo were friends in history, and a stained-glass window in the church depicts them together. The parish's name also pays tribute to its organizer, Fr. Aloys Schulbert — 'Aloys' being the short form of Aloysius — who gathered the first parishioners to worship at St. Charles before the church building existed.
History of the Parish
Local Catholics began purchasing land in Carthagena in 1856. By 1860, the community was large enough to operate a school and cemetery, and in 1865 the parish of St. Aloysius was canonically erected. Until a church was built, members worshipped in the chapel of the adjacent St. Charles Seminary.
Building the Church (1875–1878)
Plans were drawn up for a permanent church; construction began in 1875, the cornerstone was laid in May 1877, and the brick Gothic Revival building was consecrated on June 30, 1878. The parishioners did much of the work themselves, and the roughly $7,500 cost was largely underwritten by donations from surrounding Precious Blood parishes.
The 1905 Remodel
Under the pastorate of Fr. Gregory Jüssel, the interior of the church was substantially reworked in the summer of 1905: the original interior was removed, a sacristy was added, and the present Munich-style stained-glass windows and an expanded sanctuary were installed. Only the tower and three of the original walls survive from the 1870s construction.
Historic Recognition
Architectural historians from the Ohio Historical Society surveyed the building in 1977 for the Ohio Historic Inventory, finding the interior in good condition and the exterior in excellent condition. On July 26, 1979, St. Aloysius was added to the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Cross-Tipped Churches Thematic Resources, alongside more than seventy other Precious Blood–related properties.
Architecture and Stained Glass
St. Aloysius is a Gothic Revival structure, five bays long by three wide, with brick walls laid in stretcher bond on a stone-rubble foundation from Piqua, and a gabled asphalt roof. Its defining feature is the tall tower with a white-painted wooden belfry and spire — the first church in the region designed with this profile. The interior, completely remodeled in 1905, features white-painted altars, large pews for adults and miniature pews for children, and Munich-style stained-glass windows depicting the life of St. Aloysius Gonzaga, saints associated with places named 'Carthagena,' and saints revered in German culture.
- Architect: Anton DeCurtins
- Style: Gothic Revival
- Dimensions: 85 ft long × 45 ft wide; officially one story
- Original cost: ~$7,500
- NRHP listing: July 26, 1979, #79002824
Architecture and Stained Glass
- Tower walls are 2 feet thick and stand on their own foundation
- Stained-glass windows were donated by individual parish families
Sacraments
The cluster's sacramental life is shared across all five parishes. Baptism preparation is required for first-time parents, with classes held at 6:30 p.m. on the first Wednesday of March, June, September, and December at the St. Henry CCD Center. The cluster also coordinates Confirmation, First Communion, Marriage preparation, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and ongoing Confession times.
- Baptism: usually celebrated on the 1st Sunday at 12:30 p.m. at St. Aloysius or St. Henry
- Confirmation
- Eucharist / First Communion
- Confession
- Matrimony
- Anointing of the Sick
- Holy Orders
Adult Faith Formation
Adult faith offerings across the cluster include RCIA ('Become Catholic'), ongoing Bible studies, a 13-week GriefShare program each summer, and the 'Do Good' community ministries (Bible studies, health care help, tutoring, kids' ministries, trivia nights, exercise classes, baby ministries). The cluster connects adults to Archdiocese-wide programs and to Courage/EnCourage for those experiencing same-sex attractions or who have family members who do.
Youth and Family Ministry
Cluster youth ministry offers middle-school and high-school small groups, a breakfast club, retreats, and a full calendar of events. CYO athletics for St. Aloysius is coordinated jointly with St. Francis. Quo Vadis serves young adults ages 18–29 with regular events promoted through social media.
- CYO (St. Aloysius / St. Francis): Marlene Staugler, Sandy Franzer
- High school and middle school small groups, retreats, breakfast club
- Quo Vadis young adults (18–29)
Religious Education / Faith Formation
Cluster-wide religious education is coordinated by Rachel Hess and supported by Parish Life Coordinators at each site. Classes are held in the St. Henry CCD Center, with baptismal preparation classes held there as well.
Music Ministry
Music ministry for the cluster is coordinated by Karen Heath, supporting Sunday and feast-day liturgies across all five parishes including St. Aloysius.
Cluster Staff and Leadership
St. Aloysius is led by a cluster pastor and a dedicated Parish Life Coordinator, with shared clergy and staff serving the five parishes.
- Pastor: Rev. Tom Hemm, CPPS
- Parochial Vicar: Fr. Andrew Hess
- Fr. John Grusenmeyer
- Deacons: Dn. Randy Balster, Dn. Gregg Elking, Dn. Jerry Buschur
- St. Aloysius Parish Life Coordinator: Sarah Franck
- Director of Evangelization: Sarah Niekamp
- Director of Parish Life: Erin Elking
- Director of Administration: Josh Wendel
- Director of Communications: Miranda Schwieterman
- Facilities Manager: Jason Rosenbeck
- Coordinator of Music Ministry: Karen Heath
- Religious Education: Rachel Hess
- St. Henry Parish Life Coordinator: Carmen Beyke
- St. Francis Parish Life Coordinator: Mary Schmitmeyer
- St. Bernard Parish Life Coordinator: Jenny Miller
Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches
St. Aloysius's most consequential contribution to regional Catholic identity is its tower. Before it was built, area Catholic churches were small brick rectangles with modest bell towers. St. Aloysius's tall Gothic Revival tower — designed by Anton DeCurtins and built by his neighbors — was so successful that nearly every other Catholic church in western Ohio was either modified with a similar tower or built with one from the start. This distinctive silhouette gave the region its famous nickname: the 'Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches.'
Carthagena and St. Charles Seminary
St. Aloysius has been intimately tied to the Missionaries of the Precious Blood since its founding; the congregation's U.S. motherhouse and seminary — St. Charles Seminary (now St. Charles Center) — sits adjacent to the church. Seminary chapels housed the earliest parishioners, and Precious Blood priests have served as pastors of St. Aloysius throughout much of its history. The current pastor, Rev. Tom Hemm, CPPS, is a member of the same congregation.
Contact
The cluster office is open Monday–Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 12:45–4:30 p.m., and Friday 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., closed on Holy Days and holidays. All five parishes share the same phone line and staff.
- Address: 6036 State Route 274, Celina, OH 45822
- Cluster Office: (419) 678-4118
- Additional line: (419) 925-4776
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Aloys Schulbert
Parish organizer who gathered St. Aloysius worshippers at St. Charles before the church was built; 'Aloys' is short for Aloysius.
- Fr. Gregory Jüssel1905 (pastorate)
Oversaw the major interior remodel: removal of the original interior, addition of a sacristy, new stained-glass windows, and an enlarged sanctuary.